Anyone can now attend free community testing facilities

Anyone over the age of 11, who does not have Covid-19 symptoms and who is not self-isolating can now take advantage of free community testing facilities in Bridgend County Borough. During the month of April three different centres are available in the county borough.

A community testing centre is currently open at the Ogmore Valley Life Centre until the end of tomorrow. It is open between 9.30am and 6.30pm.

Then from Wednesday 14 April to Tuesday 20 April, testing will take place at the Evergreen Hall, Angel Street, Bridgend CF31 4AD.

And, from Wednesday 21 April to Wednesday 28 April, testing will take place at the Awel-Y-Mor Community Centre, Hutchwns Terrace, Porthcawl CF36 5TP.

The walk-in centres are available between 9.30am-6.30pm Monday to Friday, and 10am-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Anyone who lives, works or studies in the county borough can now get tested at the centres. This also includes anyone visiting the county borough.

It is fantastic news that the county borough has one of the lowest infection rates in the UK, we want to keep them low and community testing is an important part of the strategy to identify and isolate these asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 in our communities.

Bridgend County Borough Council leader Huw David

From March 3 to March 31, during the first phase of community testing, a total of 1,664 people were tested in Bridgend county borough. Of these, just one person had a positive Covid-19 result.                                                                                                                               

So far, the second phase of community testing has seen around 100 people tested without any positive Covid-19 results.

Because it is possible for people who have been vaccinated to still carry the virus, the testing includes residents who may have already undergone a test or who have received a dose of the vaccine.  

At the centres, staff will show people to booths where they can carry out a swab test. Each swab is processed upon the premises, and participants will be contacted with the results within 30 minutes.

If a positive result is recorded, the participant will be asked to self-isolate while arrangements are made for them to receive a confirmatory test along with further advice and support.

Anyone taking part should not eat for 30 minutes beforehand. To speed up the registration process, you can also download a Covid-19 QR code app by visiting the Covid-19 webpage (External link - Opens in a new tab or window) at the NHS website.

For more information, visit the community testing page at www.bridgend.gov.uk